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I do this too. Instead of $10/month, I pay a $10 copay for a 3 month supply. cheaper to go through express scripts (sp?) than my local pharmacy where it is $15/month for the same prescription. |
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| Posted by
anonymous
on October 18, 2009 6:28 PM |
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costco.com is a cheap way to get medications also. alot of times, a higher dosage can be cut in half and you get 6 months for the price of 3 months |
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| Posted by
anonymous
on October 22, 2009 5:49 PM |
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my copay doubles when you double your scripts. It will only let you do 1 month at a time. |
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| Posted by
anonymous
on October 23, 2009 2:32 AM |
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When my insurance changed to a "Health Savings Account" this year that would have me paying all of my medical bills, I asked my doctor to switch my blood pressure meds to a generic. He wrote the prescription to say "take 1 or 2 per day as needed." This meant the pharmacist gave me 60 instead of 30. Not sure if this works for non-generics. |
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| Posted by
anonymous
on October 23, 2009 5:35 PM |
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Most pharmaceutical companies have patient assistance programs. Call the producers of your medicines directly (such as Eli Lilly, Pfizer, etc.) and ask if they provide discounts. Your doctor's office can help you fill out their form and fax your prescription directly to them. Most companies will provide a 3 month supply for $5 to $20. The meds will either be shipped directly to your home or to your doctor's office.
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| Posted by
lisa d on October 25, 2009 2:13 PM |
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to the poster who wrote about cutting a higher dosage in half - do NOT do this unless expressly recommended for that particular medication. Not all medicines are manufactured to be split properly, and you could find yourself either undermedicated or overmedicated. |
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| Posted by
anonymous
on October 27, 2009 3:22 PM |
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I have a private "medigap" drug insurance policy, Medicare Plan D, to supplement my Medicare drug coverage. My annual goal is to spend below the $2,700 amount where the gap kicks in (at which time I'd have to pay for all of my drugs until I've spent $4,000 of my own money).
SCENARIO #1 - PAYING CASH FOR MANY PRESCRIPTIONS BETWEEN $4 AND $10 INSTEAD OF USING MY INSURANCE PLAN.
I usually PAY CASH AT A LOCAL RETAIL PHARMACY that is preapproved by my insurance policy. I pay cash instead of running the prescription through my insurance policy (it's legal). Retail pharmacies have a huge list of drugs that cost $4 for 30 days or $10 for 90 days. Mail order pharmacies don't(even if they did they have formulas that speed your progress toward the gap). For that reason I don't invoke insurance in cases where I can purchase outright for $4 to $10 for 90 days.
Scenario #2: UTILIZING MY INSURANCE PLAN (PART D) OTHERWISE, THE SAME PURCHASE FROM SAME RETAIL PHARMACY AS IN SCENARIO ABOVE: Instead of helping me, my insurance company would ding me in their method of calculating how soon I'll reach the gap (by claiming that each of my purchases at the retail pharmacy is a "retail cost to them" of $60, $80, $120+). The result is that using my insurance, each drug purchase dramatically increases my proximity to the gap. This is despite the fact that(in BOTH scenarios the purchase was through the local retail pharmacy) Also,in this scenario, insurance co-pay is more than the $4-$10 the retail pharmacy charges me when I don't use my insurance (as in scenario #1). That's why I prefer paying privatly instead of using my insurance. I'll save my insurance for BIG EXPENSES. In many cases (where you can purchase from a $4 or $10 list of drugs) you can leave your insurance company out of the retail transaction altogther. Pay the pharmacy directly. Tell them not to run it through your insurance.
It's a big risk to involve the insurance company in every drug purchase. Don't give up your right to purchase outright from retail pharmacies without using your insurance. The alternative presents a high risk of having to pay $4,000 out of your own pocket after the insurance gap is met. That could be the very period in time when you'd be diagnosed with cancer, diabetes or require expensive drugs for something as common as pneumonia etc). By anticipating and managing your known drug expenses (sometimes paying for small things), you've made progress toward staying out of the gap.
I was looking forward to the passage of new legislation to eliminate the Medicare gap, but it was defeated this week. |
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| Posted by
anonymous
on November 11, 2009 12:36 AM |
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